


Acknowledgement

by crystal_lychee



Series: Guzma and a Cynical Ass [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: Episode RR, F/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-05 22:25:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17333519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystal_lychee/pseuds/crystal_lychee
Summary: The goal is to save Lusamine, but you and Guzma weigh the importance of her very differently.Alternately: You save Lusamine and put up with Guzma, all while avoiding being an ass.





	Acknowledgement

Your hair had grown several inches since Guzma last saw you, and he can’t seem to stop focusing on this tiny detail. Besides this, you hadn’t changed too much. Your eyes were still the same frigid cold and your lips were turned down into a slight frown. 

You’re not sure what exactly to say when you see the ex-gang leader loitering about Aether Paradise, but Team Rainbow Rocket doesn’t exactly help the situation’s awkwardness. You know why he’s here, and you don’t like it. 

When he bursts into the scene, you bit back a curse; he was the one person you were hoping not to see during this fiasco. But of course, if it had to do with Lusamine, he was going to be there. Your eyes flashed with annoyance when you turned to look at him as he strode up to the two grunts with a swagger that was almost real. 

You watch as the two Grunts throw his failures in his face, calling him someone with no ideals and effectively worthless. However, to your surprise he doesn’t blow up like you think he would, instead he smiles. Not a good smile, but one that sends chills down the Grunts’ spines. 

His voice is a little raspy as he speaks, “Heh... I gotta admit... You got me all figured out,” he levels the two individuals with an even glance, “I got nothin'... Not even my team anymore. I'm just another regular nobody.”

The Grunts were about to speak before he shuts them up with a glare, “But! I still got some things I can't let go... Things ain't nobody gonna mess with! And guess what? You punks just messed with one of those things! I can't let that slide.” At these words you are tempted to let out a sigh, of course. Even after everything, he can’t let Lusamine go; you almost pity him. 

But then you realize it’s none of your business what poison Guzma decided to drink, as long as you weren’t the one to bring him back to life. (You deeply regretted having this thought.) 

“Hey! Gimme a hand,” his voice snaps you back into the present and you feel slightly embarrassed at being caught at unawares. You slowly approach him with quiet steps, hands running gently on the Pokéballs clipped onto your belt. 

You refuse to look at him, even as you stand side-by-side on the same team, your eyes never meet with his. Perhaps it is because you are afraid that the only thing you could see there was delirious love.

Guzma on the other hand has trouble not looking in your direction. As worried as he was for Lusamine, there was something almost enchanting about you that had changed. Your demeanour was still icy and untouchable, but it seemed less directed towards him now. 

The battle ends with little to no fanfare, the fight was beyond easy and Snorlax was being a bit of a baby because he had been woken up only to be done with the battle with a few blows. You rub his soft tummy for a bit as you console him, promising more thugs to be thrashed before you turn back to a shell-shocked Guzma. 

He looks at Lillie almost to ask, _Is this normal? _And the expression is so amusing that the anxiety ridden girl is able to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Her mother was being held hostage, but here you were comforting a giant, aggressive pillow that he would have more _fun _later. All while Guzma watched with the dumbest expression on his face.____

_____ _

_____ _

“Thank you, Mr. Guzma,” Lillie’s voice caught your attention as you turned away from your mostly pacified partner. 

There’s an almost bashful expression on his face as he responds, “I just beat down the goons who were gettin' on my nerves, that's all." And here he finally remembers Lusamine, the one person that he needed to protect.

He turns to you with a touch of aggressiveness, “Now, what're you standin' around for? Isn’t it time for you to save the world?” He wants to see that coldness again, the one that made it difficult to see how you could be better than Lusamine, the only person to recognize his strength as a trainer when everyone else turned their backs. 

To his shock the bitingly cold mask doesn’t appear, in fact, it was as if you refused to acknowledge him. And for some reason, this was more infuriating than your dismissal or fury. You only turn to Lillie with a solemn nod and a gentle pat on the head before you disappear down the hallway with Snorlax lumbering behind you. 

. . . 

Fighting through the castle is difficult; but you plough through regardless. The sheer number of legendary Pokémon gathered in one place was jarring, but you take it all in stride. While you had none of these near-mythical creatures as a part of your team, you had faith in the partners that have traveled so far with you. 

When Giovanni’s Mewtwo finally goes down, you let out a tired sigh of relief. As the castle returns to what was it was originally, you watch as Lillie worries over her mother with a complicated expression in your eyes. You didn’t like the woman, but you also hated the idea of both Gladion and Lillie to be without a mother. 

“Took you long enough,” Guzma’s voice was obnoxiously loud in the empty room as he rushed in with Colress following behind him. He wants to say something more, but you had already begun talking with the mysterious man, so he hurries to Lusamine’s side. 

After finishing up the conversation with Colress, you send Lillie a subtle wave and leave Aether Paradise. You truly despised this place, so the sooner you’re gone, the better. So, without a word to either Guzma or Lusamine, you exit the room and fly off to Poni Island. 

. . . 

The air is cool against your face as you ride Charizard to your destination, the feeling is relaxing and allows your mind to wander. It of course wanders back to Aether Paradise, and with a gentle shake of the head, you turn your eyes to the horizon.

The world doesn’t wait for anyone, least of all you. There was no point in wondering about the possibilities and the things that could have been said or done; what should only be contemplated is the future. 

Although you truly wish, from the bottom of your heart that the children entrapped by Lusamine somehow find a way out. Lillie, Gladion, and Guzma, who you think will find it more difficult than the actual children. If he ever had the desire to get out.

**Author's Note:**

> this is the end of the in-game storyline. i do want to write a full-fledged story, but i have commitment issues. 
> 
> also, if that ever happens, i promise you will be way more of an ass there than here.


End file.
